The Hot Springs star. (Hot Spings [Hot Springs], Dakota [Dakota Territory, i.e. S.D.]) 1886-189?, 1887-09-23

job, he had long since abandoned any at.
tempt to call his reason his own, and left
1t to drift upon the sea Of circumstance.
Mahomed, the Arab, who was, by the way,
treated civilly, indeed, but with chilling
contempt, by the Amahagger, was, I dis.
covered, In o great fright, though I could
not quite make out what he was fright.
ened about. He would sit crouched up 10
q corner of the cave all day long, calling
upon Allah and the Prophet to protect him
When I pressed him about It, he said that
he was afraid because these people were
not men and women at all, but devils, and
that this was an enchanted land; and, upon
been inclined to agree with him. And DC
day after BillAli had left, when sometime
happened.
We three and Ustane were sitting round
the fire IN the cave just before bedtime
when suddenly the woman, who had been
brooding in silence, rose, and laid her
hands upon Leo's golden curls and nd.
dressed him. Even now when I shut my
eyes I a see her proud imperial form
clothed alternately in dense shadow and
the red Pickering Of the fire, as she stood
the wild center of as weird a scene as ]
eve witnessed, and delivered herself of
the burden Of her thoughts and forebod
ings in q kind Of rhythmical speech thai
ran something as follows:
''Thou art my choscn-I have waited for thes
from the beginning!
Thou art g I beautiful. Who hath hair ltks
unto thee, or skin 80 whitol
Who hath so strong an arm7 who Is so much a
mani?
Thine eyes arc the sky, and the light in them
Is the stars.
Thou art perfect and Of a happy face. and my
heart turned itself toward thee.
Az. when mine eyes fell OF thee, l did desire
Then did I take thee to me-thou. my Beloved,
Anu mold thee fast, lest harm should como unto
Az, 1 did cover thine head with mine hair, lest
the sun should strike It;
And altogether was 1 thine, and thou vast al.
And SO It vent for a little space, till Time was
And then what Iefell uponi, that dry, Alasl
BUT !. saw thee no morc-I, I WA lost in the
And 3. she WIG is stronger did take thee; ~, she
Yet didst thou turn and call upon me. n let
time eyes ander in the darkness.
But sn mSsys ed ,,,ae ,,s she pree,yailed by Beauty,
And then, ah! then, my Beloved"
Here this extraordinary woman broke OF
her speech, or chant, which was 90 much
musical gibberish to us, for all we under
stood OF what she wa driving at, and
seemedto fix her flashing eyes upon the deep
shadow before her. All in a moment they
acquired a vacant, terrified stare, as though
they were trying to realize some half.seen
horror. She lifted her hand from Leo's
head, and pointed into the darkness. We
all looked, but could see nothing; but she
saw something, or thought she did, and
something evidently that, even her
iron nerves, for, without another sound,
down she fell senseless between us.
Leo. who was growing really attached
70 this remarkable young person. was in a
great state of alarm and distraaa. and 7. tn
Dc perfectly cand1d, was in q condition not
far removed from superstitious fear. The
whole scene was an uncanny one.
Presently, however, she recovered, and
sat up with an extraordinary convulsive
shudder.
"What didst thou mean, Ustanei" asked
Leo, who, thanks to years Of tuition, spoke
Arabic very prettily.
NAY, my chosen" she answered, with a
little forced laugh, 81 did but sing unto
thee after the fashion Of my people. Sure
~ AA0oAo AVeAAu8s GOW SOuA0 bVettA VI
that which is not yeti"
"And what didst thou see, Ustanei" I
asked, looking her sharply in the face.
NAY" she answered again; II saw
naught. Ask mt not what I saw. Why
should I fright gel" And then turning
to Leo with a look Of the most utter ten
derness that I ever saw upon the face Of
woman, civilized or savage. she took his
head between her hands, and kissed him
on the foreheada as a mother might. "when
I am gone from thee, my chosen; when at
night thou stretchest out thine hand and
canst not find me, then shouldsttho think
at times Of me, for Of truth I love thee
well, though I be not at to wash thy feet.
And now let rs love and take that which
Is given rs. and be happy. for in the grave
there 70 no love and no warmth. nor any
touching Of the lips. Nothing perchance,
or perchanoe but litter memories Of what
might have been. Tonight the hours are
u own; how know We to whom they shall
belong to-morrowW